City of Echoes

Detective Matt Jones #1

by Robert Ellis

On Detective Matt Jones’s first night working Homicide in LA, he’s called to investigate a particularly violent murder case: a man has been gunned down in a parking lot off Hollywood Boulevard, his bullet-riddled body immediately pegged as the work of a serial robber who has been haunting the Strip for months. Driven by the grisliness of the killing, Jones and his hot-tempered partner, Denny Cabrera, jump headfirst into the investigation. But as Jones uncovers evidence that links the crime to a brutal, ritualized murder that occurred eighteen months prior, he begins to suspect that there’s more going on beneath the surface. When Jones discovers shocking, deep-seated corruption; a high-level cover-up; and his own personal ties to the rising body count, he’s no longer sure he can trust anyone, even himself.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Detective

Audio CD

First published September 1, 2015

About the author

Robert Ellis is the bestselling author of Access to Power and The Dead Room, as well as two critically acclaimed series--the Lena Gamble novels, City of Fire, The Lost Witness, and Murder Season, and the Detective Matt Jones Thriller Series, City of Echoes, The Love Killings, The Girl Buried in the Woods, and City of Stones.

Born in Philadelphia, Robert moved to Los Angeles and worked as a writer, producer, and director in film, television, and advertising. After ghostwriting the final draft of Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Robert wrote his first novel, Access to Power, a national bestseller. His books have been translated into more than ten languages and won praise from authors as diverse as Janet Evanovich and Michael Connelly.

Reviews

[✨Susan✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though this book was entertaining, when it ended I felt like it was the same ole story that I have read before. The characters were good and the narrative was good but I felt the way the story built up it could have had a more creative ending.

[James Goldsworthy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not very good

Not sure how this book is getting 5 stars. I found it completely unbelievable and boring. Every character rings untrue. By the end I was just skipping pages to get it done. Really disappointed in the quality of these FIrst Read books.

[Ms.pegasus · Rating 2 out of 5]

This crime thriller is set in L.A. It opens as Det. Matt Jones is planning to meet his long time friend Kevin Hughes, a detective in North Hollywood. Jones is celebrating his promotion to Hollywood Homicide. While awaiting Hughes' arrival, he receives a call from his new supervisor, Lt. Bob Grace, summoning him to a murder scene a scant block away from the restaurant. He quickly texts Hughes that dinner is off and sprints down the block. Multiple gunshot wounds to the face have made the victim unidentifiable. While examining the scene, Jones hears a chirp from the victim's cell phone. He examines the phone and reads his own text message — the victim is his friend, Kevin Hughes.

Jones is deeply shaken. He and Hughes served a tour of duty in Afghanistan together. It was Hughes who urged him to come out to L.A. It was Hughes who provided encouragement and support. In contrast, Jones is linked up with a new partner, Denny Cabrera, and almost immediately there is friction. Perplexing developments quickly occur. The prime suspect is a hold-up man in a hoodie who has perpetrated several parking lot thefts. However, the m.o. is different, and up to now, the hold-up man has not been violent. Then, Hughes' partner Frankie Lane brings Matt to the site of a recent brutal ritualistic murder of a college student, Faith Novakoff. Lane is puzzled by the murder. It resembles a previous murder but the perpetrator of that crime is now dead, so Lane wonders if this is the work of a copycat. Lane also floats a theory that his partner Hughes was killed by the murderer in the Novakoff case, but will not disclose his reasoning to Jones until he gathers further proof.

This is a plot driven novel, and much of the plot is simply not believeable. Instead it felt like a pastiche of other crime thrillers. There are gruesome serial murders, a traumatized ex-veteran cop, suspicions of corruption, and a couple of obvious villains. So much of the book was familiar that I had to think twice to recall if the events happened in this book or one of the many others I had read in the past. Another weakness is that Jones seems to be endowed with a sixth sense: ”He switched off his flashlight and moved another fifty yards down the trail, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. The dead of night. He quieted his body and listened. He didn't see anyone but the sensation was stronger now. He could almost feel it in his bones. The killer was watching them. He was hiding in the darkness. He felt close.”

Nevertheless, the plot was sufficiently interesting and fast-paced for me to finish.

I was particularly surprised to learn this author has written a number of bestsellers. This book simply lacked complexity and originality in my opinion.

[Storey Sears · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cliche

This story is all over the place. I think the author took every plot line and twist from every book he ever read and put it in here. Rambling and tries way too hard to create a scene...Just too many words.

[L.A. Starks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traditional LA police noir, but well-written.

[Judy Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A special thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Robert Ellis introduces a gritty, new LA Homicide cop, Matthew Trevor Jones, the first in the series, CITY OF ECHOES an intense, fast-paced Hollywood noir-style detective crime thriller.

Matt Jones is excited about celebrating his promotion to Hollywood Homicide, with his friend over dinner and drinks, when he receives a call from his supervisor, Bob Grace. He is to start the following day.

An emergency, with a warning. Somebody has been murdered in Hollywood. He and his partner, Danny Cabrera--almost as green as Matt, with just three months under his belt working in Hollywood, happen to be the only choices for this assignment.

Between the economy and the budget cutbacks from Washington and Sacramento—cops had been pulled off the street and crime had become a burgeoning industry. So both men had been fast-tracked to Homicide—his celebration will need to be postponed. He texted his buddy. Now, it is show time. The combination of excitement and terror.

A violent murder case, a man gunned down in a parking lot off Hollywood Blvd – A serial robber? The victim—is it someone he knows? The murder victim had just received a text—dinner off. Call ME. From him? Could it be Hughes?

The SUV--Kevin Hughes had been more than a friend to him. More than a mentor. After their tour of duty in Afghanistan, it had been Hughes who convinced Matt to write off his troubles by leaving the east coast and moving to LA Hughes took him under his wing. Now he has to tell Kevin's wife. She will devastated. Where was Hughes partner, Frankie Lane? Something was going on? He senses something. Something familiar.

Matt had transferred from the Pacific Division but was aware of the string of holdups that had been occurring in Hollywood, and along the Strip. The three-piece urban bandit.

Cabrera, goes back to the station and tells Grace, Matt may not be able to handle the case, since he and Hughes were friends. It may be too much for him. When they saw the video tapes; by the time they reached the SUV and saw Hughes body; the three-piece bandit, the cop killer in the hooded sweatshirt was long gone.

His new partner thinks he cannot handle the case – they had too much history. Matt is mad as hell at Cabrera, and an overheated argument. It is his case. He had seen his friend gunned down on video. They need to get this guy off the street. Grace is acting weird and nervous and something stinks about the entire situation. Something is off.

When another detective’s suspicious death points to a police frame-up of an innocent man in the first of a series of murders, Matt cannot trust his partner, or his boss. Actually, who can he trust. Evil or good? Corruption? A cover-up? Greed? He has to put the pieces together. What is the motive?

In addition to all his stress, and paranoia, he is worried about Kevin’s widow, Laura and his own past, the father who betrayed him and his mother- his demons. It haunts him. Will Matt come unglued and be able to hold up under the pressure and stress, or completely unravel, before he uncovers what is going down. There has to be a missing piece? Is his dad out to get him? Does he have another life? The Greedy Bastard?

In the meantime, Jones uncovers evidence linking the crime to a brutal murder, eighteen months ago. There is something more going on and he is in deep. So he has two choices to back off or dive in. A deep seated, high-level cover up and the body count is rising. More complications.

There’s a problem and it’s in Hollywood. It has something to do with the investigation of the serial killer.

Why do the arresting officers start dying? Why do murders continue after the presumed killer is caught? Someone is protecting a secret? A betrayal? Pretending. A copycat? Could someone be trying to throw them off the real killer? Transferring the blame to the three-piece bandit, or the dirty cops? Could there be something bigger in play?

When Matt thinks he is finally linking the pieces of the mystery, he has to play along in order to gather more information. Blurring the lines between good and evil.

A complex fast-paced detective mystery cop procedural-- full of red herrings, with twists and turns with every page turn. A flawed main character, with one problem after another, coming at him full force. Better keep up, with more dead and characters than you can possibly name. Can he survive the pressure?

EVIL. Monsters. Torture. Cutting.
"Chasing Down The ONE!"

In addition to the electronic reading copy, also purchased the audio, due to travel. The narrator Nick Podehl was an ideal match, with the perfect voice for Ellis’ novel's tone of an old classic detective movie; matching the intensity.

The writing was clever with seamless connections of the multi-layered storylines. Many hidden meanings with the word “echoes”, when reading between the lines- a clever title.

My second book by Ellis, after listening to THE DEAD ROOM, narrated by Jim McCance. Highly recommend both, and look forward to more.

With the cliffhanger ending (I am dying), fans will have to wait and see what is next for Ellis’ new main man. Does Matt have what it takes to survive? Will Ellis' Jones, have as many lives as Connelly’s Harry Bosch or Mickey Haller, or Evanovich’s Joseph Morelli and Plum?

More to come with, The Love Killings (Detective Matt Jones #2) coming, 8/2/2016!

JDCMustReadBooks

[Amanda Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I picked this book out via the Kindle First books, and I'm glad I did, because holy crap this book was so boring and I'm happy that I didn't pay to read it. About a quarter of the way through I felt like I had to force myself to finish it because it just seemed to drag on. I didn't really go in expecting much, but man my expectations were too high to begin with. Matt Jones, the protagonist of the story, was extremely boring and not at all relatable. Also, I just want to point out that all of the characters in the book were just complete pieces of shit, absolutely none of them were likable.

While I don't want to spoil the story, the reveal of the serial killer was extremely predictable and there are so many other tropes presented in this story that are in so many murder mystery novels. For example, there is corruption of the higher ups, a grieving widow who our bland protagonist falls for in her time of need (seriously bro, you're fantasizing about boning your dead best friend's wife?), a cop who has had a not so cushy home life with his father walking out on him and his mother dying of cancer, an unnecessary amount of red herrings, and a serial killer who takes it into his own hands to deliver his own sense of "justice." Additionally, near the last quarter of the book there were so many plot twists added in that seemed completely unnecessary and just irritated me. It seemed the author just haphazardly threw stuff in last minute to make the story more interesting but failed.

One good thing I have to say about the book was that the author managed to write the serial killer's "trademark" with the mutilated bodies in a way that was descriptive to the point I was slightly disturbed, so good for him.

If you want a generic murder mystery novel, I'd say go for it, but don't expect too much from it because it is absolutely filled with cliches that plague this genre.

[Terri Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective Matt Jones is about to celebrate his new job as an LAPD homicide detective with his best friend, fellow detective Kevin Hughes, who he had gone through Afghanistan with in the military. He is in the restaurant waiting for Kevin when he gets a call from his new boss Lt. Bob Grace asking him to start work a night early by meeting his new partner Denny Cabrera at the scene of a murder in a parking lot across the street from a police precinct. He is horrified to find that the murdered man in the SUV was his friend Kevin- the text message he sent Kevin about cancelling dinner pings in on the man's cell phone.

This a very busy book- I took off a star for the ridiculousness of having "everything but the kitchen sink" story lines in one book- we have killer cops, killer doctors, killer cheated-on wives, killer hit man killers, killer fathers, general killers, multiple suicides, and a non-violent robber. It is as if the author was afraid he wouldn't get to write another book about the characters and crammed it all in. It made my head spin a little. That lost star also covers the fact that Matt was shot multiple times including in the chest while wearing no body armor yet was able to rescue people or drive himself around.

Essentially anybody and everybody could be guilty and with bodies piling up, Matt and Denny have to watch their backs. I enjoyed the book.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Planning to celebrate his promotion to Hollywood Homicide with his best friend and mentor, Detective Matt Jones has to cancel at the last minute when he gets called to his first murder scene. In the course of his investigation, he is led in the direction of a series of grisly murders, and begins to investigate their connection to his own murder case, and quickly begins to wonder if there is anyone he can trust.

This is not nearly of the caliber of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series, but definitely better than Chris Carter's Robert Hunter series. It has all the elements of your typical LA police procedural, but somehow came together in a way that, while not exactly predictable, was certainly familiar, like I'd read it in a dozen other crime thriller novels. There really wasn't much in the way of a suspenseful build-up, and without any real complexities to the plot, it made for a super easy read.

[JustSomeGuy · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is nothing particularly interesting about the main character, the case this story centers around or the writing itself. The protagonist is as generic as his name: Matt Jones. How the dots get connected throughout this one is feeble, the bad guys are cookie cutter and the action is tepid, at best. I will forget about this book in a few days - thankfully. There is absolutely no chance I read a second book based on this character.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

In "City of Echoes" , by Robert Ellis, has all and I mean ALL of the ingredients of the modern police police procedural thriller.
First there is the detective, in this case, Matt T. Jones who was recently promoted to the detective murder squad. Of course, Det. Jones has some issues: a father who walked out, leaving a wife and small boy ( Jones) in poverty; mother dies, leaving Jones to live with relatives. So --feelings of abandonment, resentment and authority issues.
Then, the crime. As Matt is on his way to a celebration dinner with his friend and PD mentor, Matt is phoned to take his first case, a shooting in a parking lot. Matt leaves a text on the phone of his buddy to cancel dinner. At the scene, the corpse is unidentifiable until Det. Jones finds the victim's cell and guess what...the message from Matt to his friend is the last call received! Yes, the dead man is his friend. Wow, what a wow moment.
From this point on the book is a police procedural as Jones and his new partner, with whom he does not get along, of course, investigate. They find that Jones' dead friend was investigating a murder of a young girl, horribly disfigured, staked out face down and raped, left to die.
Matt Jones, finds that that dead girl was one of an on- going series of killing/ mutilations of young women, and voila! , a serial killer is at large in LA. Again.

Considering that LA is a media circus crawling with "journalists" who are wanting a for a big story to vault them into the top tier of newsreader-ness , that there are hundreds of law - enforcement types looking for their big chance for promotion, one might think that some bright neon bulb would notice two or three very similar murder, rape, mutilations of women, whose bodies were put on grotesque display. It beggars belief that it took our stalwart hero a rookie detective, to put It together. But then again, only he saw the pattern, the killer's " signature" : a clue from Dante's " Inferno".
All this takes up about the first 70% of the book, Kindle edition, mainly because of a few digressions into the past of the detective, but also from the travelogue of Southern California thruways as the detectives make the rounds of investigation.

Without giving much away, the story's other cliche ingredients include: corruption at higher ranks; a languid widow who feels so alone into whose fleshy arms our wounded hero reclines (Amazing how even a severe loss of blood does not affect the libido in these books); there are homicidal Homicide officers, and ,as a killer, a man with a secret agenda, born of the best intentions to clean the world of Those Who Don't Deserve to Live. Yes, the reader might almost feel some sympathy for his cause, except for those messy murders of. Innocent women littering the California hills. But they were not wholly innocent, were they, having had the original sins of being beautiful, sexy and from good homes.

Whatever credibility this reader had until this point, the long, drawn-out endgame, the last 30% of reading, was so overwrought to be almost laughable. By this point I simply wanted the book to end.
Yes, Mr. Ellis had all the ingredients for a good police thriller, but this was barely so- so.
Of course, this is only my opinion. You may like it--- it is your $$.

[Trish R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book and narration..

First of all, I just read a book by David Archer, a very good book, BUT for someone who writes the same kinds of books as Robert Ellis does the difference is just amazing. LOL, so I had to stop reading Archer books for a while so I could read something with some good old-fashioned swearing. Some F-bombs. The kind of swearwords 99.9% of cops and killers use. Ahhh, I feel so much better now.

I really did like Matt but I was a little skeptical about his partner Denny, he was a real tattletale, but he turned out to be a great partner. And Matt needed a great partner, too. This book had soooo many great bad guys it wasn’t even funny. Killers, Killers, and more killers. There were so many twists and turns in the book it was crazy. From Matt’s first murder to the blowing up of a bad guy’s house, there was never a dull moment, nor a boring moment, either. But I gotta tell ya’ I couldn’t have imagined such an ending. It was a real jaw-dropper.

I do wish that male authors would bother with telling you what everyone looked like instead of just a few. I have no idea what Matt or Denny looked like, and that sucks.

And my favorite thing of all: SWEARING! The F-bomb was used 81 times, plus the usual swearwords that are supposed to be in all cop books. IMO.

There was, of course, no sex or sexual attraction in this book.

As to the narrator: One of the best EVER. When the book called for someone to say something in anger, wow, Nick Podehl said it with such absolute anger it was just amazing. He laughed and yelled and swore with such emotion. In fact, he read the entire book with awesome emotion. Fabulous narration.

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

Save yourself, read a Harry Bosch novel. Considering it is set in the exact same LAPD as Harry Bosch's? Not nearly as well written. It starts out pretty well, but seems to fall victim to many cliche cop murder mystery formulas. I found it disappointing and had to force myself to finish it.

[Hannah Chaussee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a wild ride. There were so many different mysteries intertwined into this one guys life.

[Leiah Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

25050652“Through me you go into a city of weeping; through me you go into eternal pain; through me you go amongst the lost people” ― Dante Alighieri, The Inferno

“He felt his heart, which no longer beat, contract, and he wondered if there was anything in the world as painful as not being able to protect the people you loved.”― Cassandra Clare, City of Fallen Angels

Agony. Such an interesting word, with such an interesting origin. “Late 14c., "mental suffering" (especially that of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane), from Old French agonie, agoine "anguish, terror, death agony" (14c.), and directly from Late Latin agonia, from Greek agonia "a (mental) struggle for victory," originally "a struggle for victory in the games," from agon "assembly for a contest," from agein "to lead." Now, it simply means, “Extreme and generally prolonged pain; intense physical or mental suffering.” Yes. Interesting.

Matthew Trevor Jones knows all about agony. His father walking out the door. His mother dying of cancer when he was twelve. His father refusing to accept, or even acknowledge his existence when he had no place else to go. A stint in Afghanistan. And now? Now, on this day, the day before his first day with Hollywood Homicide, he knows the agony of losing his friend, his brother in arms in the Sandbox. The man who pulled him away from all that was wrong with his life on his return from that dark and brutal place of guns and death. Away from his memories. The brother who got him started on the path to where he is today. Detective Kevin Hughes is dead, taken down in a blaze of bullets on his way to meet Matt, to celebrate his promotion. A bloody, blasted shell.

“At the end of the day it’ll come down to this: Kevin and I were brothers in arms. We fought the good fight and somehow both of us were lucky enough to come home. He had my back, and now I’ve got his.”

Agony.

And as the case turns and twists, layers of deceit and lies, hidden meanings and horrific realizations come clear. Nothing is as it seems. Nothing is real, but at the same time too brutally real to be believed.

Betrayal.

It all comes down to betrayal. The past and present are melding, and the threads of Matt’s life are starting to unravel.

“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.” – W.B. Yeats, The Second Coming

This is the first time I have read Robert Ellis, but it won’t be the last. As much as I loved the book, there are certainly some who won’t. Ellis’s voice is harsh, nearly brutal in its ability to strip off the shiny layers, the bright and distracting gaudy bits, leaving the harsh truth behind, lying like the broken body of a child upon the sand.

“It hunger there, all of it, in the candlelight and in the shadows, and on a night in late October when the dry wind howled.”

This is noir style detective thriller writing at its best and most complex. Beneath the shiny surface of Hollywood lies a dark and festering heart – and Ellis writes it like it is.

I received City of Echoes from the publisher in exchange for a realistic review. All thoughts are my own. If you like my review, please do me the favour of letting me know by clicking “Like” on GoodReads, and on Amazon after it is published. I really appreciate it!

Publishing September 1, 2015 by Thomas & Mercer

About The Author

Robert Ellis is the international bestselling author of "Access to Power", "The Dead Room", and the critically acclaimed L.A. Times bestseller "City of Fire", "The Lost Witness", and "Murder Season" - selected as top reads by Booklist, Publishers Weekly, National Public Radio, The Chicago Tribune, The Toronto Sun, The Guardian (UK), The Evening Telegraph (UK), People Magazine, USA Today, and The New York Times. His novels have been translated into more than ten languages, are read in more than thirty-five countries, and are available in audio and all digital formats. Born in Philadelphia, Robert moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a writer, producer, and director in film, television, and advertising. Robert studied writing with Walter Tevis, author of "The Hustler", "The Man Who Fell to Earth", and "The Color of Money," and with his friend, John Truby, screenwriter and author of "The Anatomy of Story." His books have garnered praise from a diverse group of authors including Janet Evanovich's wonderful review in People Magazine. But perhaps Michael Connelly said it best: "'City of Fire' is my kind of crime novel. Gritty, tight and assured. Riding with Detective Lena Gamble through the hills of Los Angeles is something I could get used to. She's tough, smart, and most of all, she's real."

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sat down to read a few chapters in this book and then go about some other errands. Once I started though I couldn't put it down. It was incredible as far as twists and turns. There was an abundance of suspects for the mutilation murders but the cop murders - were they related? was it a different murderer or the same? Questions just kept piling up which kept the pages turning.

Matt was brand new to Hollywood homicide he had come from a different department and had worked narcotics. The night before he was to officially start he got called to his first murder. It was not a pretty site. He discovered that he knew the victim.

Matt was a good cop. He wanted to be part of homicide and he wanted to succeed. He also has a bit of a temper that he tries hard to contain. I really liked his character. His new partner rubbed me the wrong way at first. I felt he was in his lieutenant's pocket or maybe just a 'brown noser.'

There were young girls being horribly mutilated and found posed. The more Matt dug into these murders the more he suspected that his friend that had been murdered, a LAPD officer, might have found something to get him killed. The first murder was 1 1/2 years ago but his lieutenant worked that case with his partner at the time and the alleged murderer hung himself in prison. What Matt found strange was no details were released and yet another young girl came up dead the same way. The lieutenant is trying to sell the "copycat" theory. Matt doesn't buy it and eventually convinces his partner. Something was very wrong with the whole scenario.

This story never slows all the way to the end. Matt and his partner have to be careful because it seems that any officers investigating the case come up deceased. This is a multiple faceted cliffhanger that keeps you wondering all the way till the end. There are even a couple of surprises at the end.

I received this book free from the publisher through Netgalley.com in exchange for a review. If you want to know more about Robert Ellis you can check him out here http://www.robertellis.net/index.html

[Larry Bassett · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book says Detective Matt Jones #1. So that suggests that this is the first book in the series. We should be so lucky if that was misleading. Because this is a book that is so full of macho bullshit that it hardly bears repeating.

There are bad cops and dead cops galore. it begins with two cops planning to have dinner together to celebrate a promotion. But instead one of the cops is brutally murdered. After much murder and mayhem it turns out the cops murderer was his wife. Poops I guess I shouldn’t of said that. The murdered cops best friend also a cop is so distressed that a week later he ends up in bed with the dead cops wife. He doesn’t know she is the murderer then so that makes it OK I guess. And when he finds out well I won’t tell you what he does because that would spoil it.

But I would suggest that you not touch this book with a 10 foot pole. One of my favorite lines his brothers in arms. You see these two cops best friends Served together in Afghanistan. This is really all about male partnership and how men watch each other’s back etc.

You know how you sometimes read a book that you don’t find very impressive but still manage to find a line or two or a paragraph here and there that shows that the writer does have a smidgen of writing skill? Well I didn’t find that smidgen in this book.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe this is the first book in a series. Matt Jones is a rookie LAPD homicide detective. He and his partner Denny Cabrera are investigating a series of ritual murders. Jones’ best friend Kevin Hughes was killed in a robbery. Maybe the murders are being committed by a rogue cop. Now Jones trusts no one.

This is my first book by Robert Ellis. Somehow or other I bought this book on the Amazon site that provided an audiobook via Audible. The book is well written; the pace is fast. I found the story’s plot to be complex and loaded with distortion and misdirection that only increases the suspense. The characters are well developed, credible and complex. Ellis is well on his way to be a master of suspense. What I did not like about the story is it’s yet another serial killer plot. I am fed up with this topic. Come on authors can’t you create another subject. I could also have done with less foul language. The description of the LA area was very good. I read this book as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. I have listened to Nick Podehl narrate before and found his narration excellent.

[Danielle Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible book from start to finish. I have been looking for a book to end my reading slump and this book did it and then some. Robert Ellis was masterful at creating suspense in this book. Such a great way to debut Detective Matthew Jones.

I am definitely looking forward to more from Robert Ellis and his character Matt.

City of Echoes is a non-stop thrill ride, with so many twists that your head is going to spin. There is so much going on in this story, but Robert Ellis does a superb job of keeping it all together while managing to deliver a mind blowing ending.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

City of Echoes by Robert Ellis is the first book in the Detective Matt Jones Mystery series. Detective Matt Jones is called to a brutal homicide on his first day where the victim turns out to be a fellow officer and friend. A complicated and interesting mystery but I found that there were too many twists and unanswered questions. I though most of the happenings were not believable and there were too many killers and I hated the unresolved ending. Enjoyable, fast paced with lots of action but rather farfetched.

[Jim A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent police thriller. I don't usually compare authors, but Ellis' work reminds me of the works of Crais and Connelly. His protagonist, Matt Jones, is even a homicide detective in Hollywood as was Bosch.

The novel is full of twists and just when you think Ellis is winding the story down, he takes off in a new direction. My only regret is Amazon has already listed book two for advance sale. Sort of takes a lot of the suspense out of the ending.

Worth the read.

[Don Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3 1/2) This is one fast moving story. Matt Jones is a great protagonist and Ellis has thrown him into a cauldron of action. The twists and turns will have you getting ready for yoga class but we sure could use a little more character development along the way. Lots of action, a great leading man, evil a plenty and a few easy to figure solutions make this a very entertaining read. I hope there is another Matt Jones book.

[cynthia zeiders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dirty city, dirty politics, dirty police--one hero

Matt is a man with a strong moral compass. It is spinning as he drawn deeply into a whirlpool of greed and corruption.
This book is the Rosetta Stone of gritty. It will pull you into page turning as fast as the trouble following this humble man.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

This story grabbed my attention from the first few pages. Just when I thought I had figured out a plot line the story took an unexpected turn again and again. Looking forward to the sequel!

[Tami Stackelhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch novels, you will likely enjoy this one. Not only is City of Echoes set in the same time and place, but it has the same feel. I honestly felt like Matt Jones was going to walk onto a crime scene and meet Harry!

[Gerald Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding.

Hard-hitting Los Angeles noir.
Plot twists and turns galore. You will be held in the grip of this amazing story.

[R. L. C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not good

The only reason I finished the book is because I thought it couldn't get any worse. Well, I was wrong.

[Jordan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure I should even review this book due to how miserable I was trying to finish it. Thankfully it was free. Very vulgar and crude.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ohhhh Robert Ellis does it again! It starts out as a typical Detective murder mystery but has such an intricate plot with twists I did NOT see coming- so much so that my jaw literally dropped while uncovering one of the mysteries. I really can't wait to read the second in the series, especially with the open-ended conclusion of this one!

[Jarek · Rating 3 out of 5]

A typical detective story with a major psychological angle.